


The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers

by torino10154



Series: HP May Madness 2014 [15]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Ficlet, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-01-24 23:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1621187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torino10154/pseuds/torino10154
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Notes: For ages I've had this idea that I know I will never fully develop. Basically Severus is a shoemaker or other leather tradesman and on the side he makes various fetish items—though he doesn't actually use them himself. That's the wisp of background for this little piece. Oh, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schuhmacher-1568.png">this</a> was the inspiration for the shoe sausages. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordwainer_(ward)">Cordwainer ward</a> in London was where, historically, shoemakers lived and worked. The title itself comes from the guild of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Cordwainers">Worshipful_Company_of_Cordwainers</a> formed in 1272. The interesting things one learns while writing fanfic. LOL</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Harry paused in front of the shop window and tried to smooth his hair down but it was no use. He wore his Sunday best as well as the only pair of leather boots he owned. They were slightly scuffed and his toes were nearly out of growing room but hopefully, the shoemaker's need of an assistant would outweigh any objection to Harry's appearance. 

Taking off his cap as he stepped inside the shop, Harry was overwhelmed with the strong scent of leather as well as an underlying layer of oil and soap. 

He walked further inside, looking at the various pairs of shoes hanging from ropes like curing sausages.

"May I help you?" a deep voice said and Harry spun, wondering how the owner had managed to get behind him. The light from the windows cast him in silhouette and Harry could only make out his eyes glinting in the reflected light.

"I'm here for work," Harry started to explain but the man—Severus Snape—interrupted him.

"I am not hiring," he said coldly.

"Not a job," Harry stammered. "An apprenticeship. I'd like to learn the craft of shoemaking."

"Ah, that changes things. How old are you?" 

"Sixteen," Harry fudged. He'd be sixteen by summer though. 

"Good." Snape said no more but stepped around him and walked toward the back of the shop, disappearing into another room.

Harry stood frozen for a moment, unsure whether he should follow but, as he hadn't been thrown out, assumed he ought to.

He stood in the doorway, watching as Snape dipped his quill in ink.

"This is your contract of service," he said without lifting his head from the parchment as he wrote. "There is little in the way of payment in gold, however, you will have a roof over your head, food to eat, and the skills required to make your way in the world after three years time."

Harry swallowed. "Three years?"

That got Snape's attention. He looked up, eyes narrowed. "Do you think it possible to learn the skills of a cordwainer in fewer?"

"No, sir." Harry waited breathlessly, hoping he hadn't cost himself the opportunity.

However, Snape's lips twitched and he bent his head again, black ink blooming across the parchment as he wrote. "You learn quickly. Go to the store room and fetch the saddle soap and mink oil."

Harry would have run but slowed himself down, afraid of knocking something over in his haste. The store room was filled with bottles and jars along the wall, a workbench with hammer and nails laid upon it, and large pieces of hide as well as scraps that had fallen to the floor.

Harry bent and picked up a thin black strip and lifted it to his nose, inhaling deeply. 

"That is not for shoes," Snape said from the door. Harry made to set it down but Snape shook his head. "You may keep it. Perhaps one day before you leave you'll even be able to tell me what it is."

Harry slipped it into his pocket and then gathered the jars Snape had asked for. 

"There are six pairs of boots in the front window. Wash and oil them." Then he turned and left Harry standing there.

"Right. Best get to work, then," Harry said to himself.

It was going to be an interesting three years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: For ages I've had this idea that I know I will never fully develop. Basically Severus is a shoemaker or other leather tradesman and on the side he makes various fetish items—though he doesn't actually use them himself. That's the wisp of background for this little piece. Oh, and [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schuhmacher-1568.png) was the inspiration for the shoe sausages. [Cordwainer ward](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordwainer_\(ward\)) in London was where, historically, shoemakers lived and worked. The title itself comes from the guild of [Worshipful_Company_of_Cordwainers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Cordwainers) formed in 1272. The interesting things one learns while writing fanfic. LOL


	2. Tools of the Trade

Harry watched as Snape cut the rich, brown leather with care, wielding the trenchet with precision. A single mistake and the leather would go into the second-hand pile which they used for smaller shoes for children of noblemen who frequented the shop. 

Occasionally Snape saved a piece for his other leatherworks. Harry watched Snape craft the unusual pieces but Snape never offered an explanation and Harry never asked for one. 

There were boots that reached mid-thigh and gloves made from the softest kid leather. Garments for ladies and gentlemen the likes of which Harry had never seen before

Harry longed to feel Snape's hands on his skin, washing, oiling, caressing _him_ with the same care as he did with the leather he fashioned. He wanted Snape to know every inch of his body and teach Harry how to please him in return. 

"Fetch me the left shoe forme," Snape said, startling Harry out of his daydream. A shiver went up his spine when he met Snape's eye.

Sometimes he felt as if Snape could read his mind. 

Harry blushed. What would Snape think if he knew Harry's most intimate desires?

Harry handed Snape the forme silently, not trusting himself to speak. Harry then tried to stay focused on the task at hand rather than get caught up in his fantasies. 

But, now seventeen, Harry had worked for Snape for over sixteen months—he was nearly halfway through his apprenticeship—and his attraction to Snape only grew with each passing day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found a lovely glossary of terms [here](http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/RESEARCH/GLOSSARY/bdeft.htm%20).


End file.
